Bud Selig has passed the other commissioners simply by standing still

It may be hard to believe but it appears as if Bud Selig (left) has made the long climb from the bottom of the commissioners list to the top. And who would have thought that was possible considering the myriad of issues that occurred during his watch—issues like steroid abuse, the near elimination of competitive parity, the deadlocked all-star game, and the strike/lockout that cancelled a World Series. But somehow, by doing almost nothing to improve his sport, Selig has overtaken the others who through arrogance, self-serving narrow-mindedness and obstinacy are taking their leagues into dangerous territory.

Start with David Stern who was long acknowledged as the best of the commissioners and is the dean of the set having been in power since 1984. Stern oversaw the growth of the NBA from a sport that was mostly regionalized into a worldwide attraction and did so by promoting the league’s star players. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird began the league’s ascent into global appeal but it was when Michael Jordan burst onto the scene that the league really took off. Recognizing this fact Stern insisted that the league’s officials side with the stars on any close call—thereby ensuring that the stars stay on the court. After all, reasoned Stern, the fans came to see the stars play.

However, this philosophy has gotten so far out of control it has become part of the game’s lexicon–the star will always get the call, even when no foul is committed. How often do we see Lebron James drive the lane and get a foul called even though the defender barely touched him? This is the main reason why the league has evolved into a committee of complainers—the league has instituted stricter rules on complaining this year but in reality the cat is out of the proverbial bag.

One would think that if we can see the problems that arise from the mishandling of the league then surely those on the inside must be able to as well. But this is a league that refused to believe they had a serious problem with their officiating in spite of the fact that one of their own was indicted for betting on games. Of course when the NBA officiating training camp is a weekend at Stern’s cottage in the summertime we can see the importance that the league places on their officials.

And now Stern is about to lock out the players—blaming them for the problems of the game. He was once the dean of sports but now Stern is just an old man hanging on to his power.Speaking of lockouts –it’s hard to fathom that the one league that produces the most money, has the most secure franchises, and has the greatest following is in the throes of a lockout. The NFL has multi-billion dollar television deals and billion dollar stadiums being built to house their franchises. So why is there a lockout? Simply, the greed of the owners has overtaken common sense. And the commissioner is along for the ride.

The league already has a salary cap, and competitive balance. And it earns tons and tons of money. But the league sees that the players association is gaining strength and since it wants complete and utter control of the game—they want to avoid the situation baseball found itself in as the players consistently beat the owners in labour fights. The owners look back to 1987 when the players last stood and fought. It only took a month before players crossed the picket lines and effectively euthanized the association. It took years before the NFLPA became a viable operation again.

So NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his fraternity of billionaire owners see a possibility of disrupting the association’s growth and keeping the players down to a level acceptable to them. Who cares about the fans—they only pay the freight.

Finally we have Gary Bettman and the circus that has evolved out of the NHL. Bettman’s long structured plan for success was to build the game’s profile in the United States. He put teams in the U.S., created rules that would assist U.S. teams and blocked any attempt by Canadian businessmen (notably Jim Balsillie) from taking a team out of the U.S. and putting it in Canada.

As well as location issues the league has rules issues and policy issues and health issues. The league refuses to look at the game from the players’ perspective and moves slowly and hesitantly toward creating an environment that is safe for its players. Bettman and the governors mistakenly believe that aggression will be lessened if they institute rules against head shots, or even if they created harsher sentences for those who push the envelope of the game.

The league continues to believe that two game suspensions are the direction needed—except in extreme cases involving multiple offenses like Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke who, on his fifth suspension, was banned for the remainder off the regular reason and the first round of the playoffs for a head shot. The Cooke suspension is easy for the league—he is an obvious head hunter. But ask yourself one question—if the league was doing its due diligence toward the game and protecting its players would somebody like Cooke even be in the league?

As I have stated many times previously the league refuses to move the game into the 21st century and continues to hang on to a sense of Neolithic barbarianism. The league wanted to grow the game in the U.S. but feared going all out and creating a game built on speed and skill. They just didn’t want to lose the small faction of fight fans they believe are intrinsic to their sport. And because of that the game plods along as a minor event on the U.S., sports scene.

While Canadians look at Slap Shot as a fantasy and a comedy there are those in the U.S. who still believe it is played that way–especially when highlights at night show players lying prone on the ice from some form of illegal hit.

So, way to go Bud. Nothing like taking a couple of years off from doing anything and watching your status rise to the top. But then what does that say about the leadership of the four major sports leagues in North America? Not much.

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